For a moment, no one spoke.
The only sound in the ward was the steady beeping of the vital monitors.
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
Aren's head was still lowered, breath uneven, chest rising and falling as if he had truly just made a promise that could never be taken back.
Then—
"...Cut."
The director's voice finally broke the silence.
But it wasn't loud.
It wasn't sharp.
It was slow… and strangely heavy, as if the word had slipped out of his mouth without his permission.
No one moved.
The cameraman didn't lower the camera.
The crew didn't relax.
Even the actress on the bed remained perfectly still, as if afraid that any movement might shatter something fragile lingering in the air.
A few seconds passed.
Then more.
Someone near the lighting equipment slowly lowered their hands, only realizing now that they were still raised.
Only then did quiet murmurs ripple through the set.
"…Did you feel that?"
"His acting was even better than professionals."
"No kidding… when he got angry, I swear I felt chills."
"This might even be the best shot in the whole drama."
"Are you sure this is his first time acting?"
Aren was also suddenly out of immersion thanks to the system, only now realizing he was holding the female lead's hand. He instantly retrieved it and looked around.
'Is the scene over?'
Aren was confused, not remembering the last few minutes. Only some strong emotions lingered.
Then, he noticed the intense gazes directed at him; some were surprised, some in disbelief.
Aren also saw Mikhail standing near the crew.
His mouth was slightly open.
Not in shock.
In disbelief.
"…No way," he muttered.
The director, a man in his early forties with round glasses, had a similar reaction.
Seeing the reactions, he could guess that the scene was over; however, he was clueless about what to do now.
He knew from the script that there was one more scene remaining, but that required a different location.
Mikhail soon approached him and instructed, "The scene is over. Wait in the makeup room for a bit. We will proceed with the next scene shortly."
It looked like Mikhail had a lot to say to Aren; however, because of the nature of his work, he prioritized the instructions.
In under fifteen minutes, Aren was standing in front of a corridor door of the hospital floor, ready to barge in.
This was the scene he had to shoot, which was supposed to come before the scene that he had just performed.
He had to storm into the hospital corridor, confront the lead actor of the drama, and then enter the ICU.
The lines were few.
The emotions, however, were not.
The director gave his commands, and the clap happened, transporting Aren into his immersed world conjured by the system.
The memories about his daughter returned; however, this time, he had just arrived in the hospital.
The male lead became the bodyguard Aren trusted with his daughter's safety.
What happened afterwards, Aren didn't remember.
When he was back to his senses, he was inside the ICU once again, standing beside the female actress as the set erupted with applause.
He didn't understand anything but knew that the scene was over.
"Pack up!" Mikhail shouted as the set bustled with motion as the crew began to pick up props, unplug fake wires, and pull down curtains, returning the set to just another hospital floor.
The female actress got up, and the male lead approached him as well.
The male lead was a 25 year old man with classic crimson hair, sharp eyebrows, and auburn eyes. His name, Leon Shern, was already known by the masses due to his previous hit drama on AxisPlay.
Even though AxisPlay was a low-tier streaming platform, it still launched some mediocre actors into the acting scene.
The female lead, Gisha Nile, 24 years old, on the other hand, was only in her second drama. She was far more famous for her stunning looks and social media popularity than for her acting skills. With long black hair and delicate features, she fit romantic roles easily, even if critics often questioned her performances.
Aren was obviously more famous than the two of them combined, however, for not good reasons. If someone were to count fans, they both would beat him in a heartbeat due to his bad reputation.
Still, being more famous had its perks.
"Woah, I didn't expect a popular idol such as Aren Frost to act in our drama." Gisha spoke excitedly, "Wait! Does that mean I'm the lead actress of the drama in which you debut as an actor? So cool!"
Aren didn't get any condescending vibes from her, so he knew she wasn't faking it.
Leon also chipped in, "Yeah, your acting was on a whole different level. I had my doubts at first, but man, was I wrong. But you hit me too hard. Take it easy next time."
Aren didn't know what he was talking about, but he nodded nonetheless to not appear clueless.
He talked with them for a little while longer before the respective managers of both took them away; however, he was still added to their LinkChat group for the drama by then.
Mikhail approached him, praised his acting, and then informed him,
"The next season of this drama will begin its shooting after a month and a half. Your role will be bigger even though the script isn't finished yet. I'll call you to discuss the details after two to three weeks once the script is finished."
Mikhail turned to leave to instruct his crew, but remembering suddenly, he turned to Aren and reminded,
"Ah, the episode airs the day after tomorrow night at 8:30 pm. Be sure to watch it."
Aren nodded with a smile as he saw Mikhail nod back, turn around, and leave.
Aren was now free to go.
'Day after tomorrow, right? Wait, what's the date today? I didn't check.'
Leaving the set, Aren took out his phone and checked today's date as his eyes widened in shock.
"What?!" He yelled in surprise, inviting everyone's gazes towards him.
He was wearing a cap and a mask so nobody recognized him; however, he still rushed out to escape the embarrassment.
'It has been a month since I died?!'